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Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, also simply known as 999, is an adventure game for the Nintendo DS and the first entry of the Zero Escape series developed by Chunsoft and published in Japan by Spike on December 10, 2009, and in North America by Aksys Games on November 16, 2010. On May 29, 2013, the game was ported to iOS and released in Japan. The port was named 9 Hours 9 People 9 Doors HD Smart Sound Novel as it was released as part of the Smart Sound Novel series so the escape room puzzles were removed in favor of more focus of the visual novel aspects. The English version, titled Zero Escape: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors: The Novel, or simply 999: The Novel, was released on March 17, 2014. Plot Set in November 2027, Junpei, a normal college student, suddenly finds himself along with eight other strangers involved in a deadly conspiracy he could never have imagined. He wakes aboard an old cruise liner. Dazed and confused, he stumbles around the room he finds himself in, trying desperately to remember how he got there. The first thing he notices is a red number 5 scrawled across the door. As Junpei's memory returns, his mind is filled with the image of a mysterious figure in a gas mask, and their haunting words: "You are going to participate in a game. The Nonary Game. It is a game where you will put your life on the line." Characters *'Junpei': The main protagonist of the game. After he wakes up to find he's been transported to a strange location, he takes it upon himself to figure out all the cryptic clues and to save everyone trapped with him. His bracelet number is 5 and is the only one not to choose his own codename due to June accidentally mentioning his name. *'June': The childhood friend of Junpei. Akane Kurashiki is her actual name although she chooses to go under the codename June once she accidentally reveals Junpei's name. She is a delicate girl who works hard to make sure no one gets left behind during the Nonary Game. Her bracelet number is 6, from the month June. *'Ace': A tall, grave older man with a streak of gray in his hair, he is often the voice of calm reason when events descend into chaos. His bracelet number is 1, hence the name Ace. *'Snake': A young man with a princely demeanor, he is an unending fount of information, but tends to only reveal it when there is no other option. His bracelet number is 2, from the term "snake eyes". Ironically, Snake is blind but that does not stop him from being able to work as well as another normal person. *'Santa': Little more than a punk with silver hair and a bad attitude at first glance, this clever guy keeps pushing forward and doesn't like dealing with indecisiveness. His bracelet number is 3 so his name comes from "san", the Japanese word for "three" and that he references Santa Claus several times. *'Clover': Prone to rapid swings of emotion, this pink haired girl doesn't hesitate to speak her mind or put people in their place. Her bracelet number is 4 so her codename comes from the four-leaf clover, which is a symbol of good luck. She is the sister of Snake and so does everything to try to stay with him, unless he goes against her intentions. *'Seven': A large, bumbling mountain of a man, his appearance and behavior hide an intelligent mind well-equipped for solving problems. His size gives him the strength to do certain functions that only he or Ace are able to do. His bracelet number is 7 and obviously, his codename is his bracelet number. *'Lotus': A self-serving, barely-dressed woman with unknown skills and knowledge, she does whatever she can to find her way out. Her bracelet number is 8 and Lotus comes from the flower itself, which has 8 petals. *'The 9th Man': A fidgety, jumpy man from the start, he knows more than he's letting on. The 9th Man is the only one who does not get to pick what his codename is so the rest of the players refer to him as the 9th Man during the Nonary Game. *'Zero': The one behind the Nonary Game. His identity is a mystery and what his motives are for putting the 9 players in the Nonary Game are unknown. Gameplay The gameplay is divided into two parts. The puzzle part is when the player must solve the puzzles that are blocking their way in order to progress the game, and the visual novel part in which the player can talk to the other characters and make decisions that affect the story of the game. Junpei or the other characters may die depending on what doors and dialogue choices the player makes. There are 6 endings in total. The player's decisions will widely affect which ending is received. Only one ending is the true ending. In the iOS version, the escape room puzzles had been removed in replace of narration of the events that happened in the room. The story is now presented in a comic book style and a flow chart that allows the player to skip to different parts of the plot. Because of the bottom screen being removed, the narration appears in the same screen as the dialogue. Music The soundtrack for the game was composed by Shinji Hosoe. Disc One # 9 hours, 9 persons, 9 doors # Unary Game # Extreme Extrication # Binary Game # Riddle and Puzzle # Ternary Game # Foreboding # Quaternary Game # Recollection # Quinary Game # Trepidation # Senary Game # Quietus Disc Two # Imaginary # Septenary Game # Tranquility # Tinderbox # Eternitybox # Who is Zero? # Octal Game # Nonary Game # Chill and Rigor # Digital Root # Morphogenetic Sorrow # 9 years Trivia * The game's design team is led by Kotaro Uchikoshi, who was also the writer of the acclaimed visual novel Ever 17: The Out of Infinity. Gallery Boxart 999JapanArtbox.jpg|Japanese boxart 999JapaneseBackCover.jpg|Japanese backcover 999NAArtbox.jpg|Original North American boxart 999NorthAmericanBackCover.jpg|Original North American backcover 999ReprintBoxart.jpg|New North American boxart 999ReprintBackcover.PNG|New North American backcover 999ios.jpg|999 iOS Screen 999iosicon.jpg|999 iOS icon 999iosicondhd.jpg|999 iOS icon HD iOS screenshots 999smartsoundnovel.png|Banner. 999iOSEscapeRoom.png|Escape room segment. 999iOSDoorChoice.png|Choosing a numbered door. 999iOSStoryCG.png|A Story CG. 999Flowchart.png|A Flowchart. 999iOSStoryCutscene.png|A storyline segment. ZeroNarrationiOS.png|A storyline cutscene with narration. Artwork 999_players.png|The nine players. Early concept.jpg|Early concept where players were handcuffed together. Art02.jpg|Art. Art03.jpg|Art. 999 young.jpg|The nine players nine years ago. Novel Cast_4.png Cast_5.png Main.jpg Vol1.jpg Vol2.jpg Couple.png Cast.png Elevator.png Santa Lotus.png Akane_Junpei.jpg Lotus2.png Akane Clover.png Akane 2.png Junpei.png Divide.png Hope.png Reunion.png Right.png Worried.jpg